Can you prevent brown patches in grass from forming?

Dear Neil: Is brown patch as much of a problem in the spring as it is in the fall. If so, is there a preventive treatment I can apply?

Two factors determine how much brown patch you see in the spring. One is the severity of the winter. If temperatures are very cold at some point, the old St. Augustine blades will turn brown and brown patch will be slowed or stopped.

Brown patch is more likely to remain active in Deep South Texas than it is in the northern parts of the St. Augustine zone(Photo: Contributed)

And so that brings in the other factor: how far south you are in the state. Brown patch is more likely to remain active in Deep South Texas than it is in the northern parts of the St. Augustine zone. However, to answer the other part of your question, there really is no preventive for it. Learn to identify it by the yellowing of the leaf blades and their easy release from the runners with even a gentle tug. You’ll learn to watch for the decaying tissues at the very bases of the blades near the points of attachment. Compare that to the more common spring disease take all root rot which causes overall yellowing of blades while they remain firmly attached to the runners. I love St. Augustine, but it all makes you want to throw out your arms and shout “Ugh!”

Dear Neil: I started gardening a few years ago and have enjoyed it. My original garden has expanded into two larger gardens in clay soil. What would you suggest to amend the soil affordably?

Whether you’re preparing a small plot or an acre, the answer remains the same: organic matter is the best thing you can add to any clay soil to loosen it so water and nutrients can penetrate, also to improve growth of your plants’ roots. However, the difference comes when you try to decide what type of organic matter to use. In a small plot I recommend an inch or two of sphagnum peat moss, well-rotted manure, fully decayed compost, finely ground pine bark and expanded shale. However, that would be pricey on a big volume, so you probably will want to buy composted manure that has aged for a year or two and blend it with a fully composted yard waste if your city has such a facility. If not, create your own compost pile and put grass clippings, shredded tree leaves and other non-food organic matter into it, even gathering it up from the neighborhood. If there is a landscape contractor who works in your neighborhood, he or she will know sources of good blended soil mixes if you’d prefer to buy a pre-mixed product and have it delivered in bulk.

Dear Neil: I need to replace 30 feet of redtip photinias that block an ugly view of our neighbor’s driveway. What shrub would grow to be 10 feet tall and wouldn’t get the disease that is killing the redtips?

Nellie R. Stevens hollies win hands-down. They grow to that size or taller. They’re deep green and evergreen, suited to sun and shade anywhere in Texas, and they bear large red berries all winter every winter. They grow fairly briskly, but I’d suggest starting with 20-gallon pots for quicker privacy. Space them two-thirds as far apart as the height you intend to let them attain.

Dear Neil: I want to lower my Asian jasmine’s height. Can I trim it? If so, when and by how much? It’s 12 inches deep currently.

That’s really thick. You could easily cut it back to 6 inches and perhaps even 4 or 5 inches. I would use a gasoline-powered hedge trimmer. Start at one end, preferably less visible, to experiment. Cut it flat, parallel to the soil’s surface, and roll the cut vines back over on top of the yet un-cut portion so you can see how it’s going to look. It will be fairly sparse, but it will regrow nicely come spring. I would wait to do this until mid-February, and I’d follow it up with an application of a high-nitrogen, lawn-type fertilizer. Trim it a couple of times each year from this point on to keep it from getting so tall the next time around.

Dear Neil: We have bare areas in our back yard where we took out a pool. The ryegrass just didn’t take hold over the winter. How early can we plant new sod?

Let’s start with the ideal. The best time for planting new sod is April through early June. Soils are warm then, yet temperatures are cool enough that the grass can establish before summer’s blistering heat. However, in your case you want to plant sooner than that. You can certainly advance the planting by a few weeks, and if you’re planting the hardier bermuda, by even more. But I would wait until danger of extreme cold has passed for your part of the state.

Dear Neil: Does trailing lantana come back after the winter? I grew it for the first time last year.

In the southern half of Texas, yes, it absolutely does. In colder parts of the state it will come back after mild winters. The taller, bushier sorts are better at perennializing, but all lantanas, regardless of types, will be among the last plants to sprout back out again in the spring. You may not see them until late March or even early April. Don’t rush to plant something else in their spaces.

Have a question you’d like Neil to consider? Mail it to him in care of this newspaper or e-mail him at mailbag@sperrygardens.com. Neil regrets that he cannot reply to questions individually.